THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 265 



obstruct the view of the distant village, which now appears as if set in a 

 frame- work of leafiaess. 



"We must not now attempt to describe the style of planting, or the 

 various materials available for such work, because vre have ah'eady ex- 

 ceeded the limits we assigned ourselves for a few considerations of general 

 interest. But we will return to this subject next month, and endeavour 

 to throw further light upon it. But it is needful that a few practical 

 remarks should be made in reference to the earth-work of a pond. When 

 the site, size, and shape of the pond have been determined, a dead level 

 must be marked on stakes placed at a few points of the boundary, and to 

 this level all work must be regulated, no matter what the intended depth, 

 or what the variations of that depth in different parts of the same pond. 

 "We can illustrate the necessity for making a dead level by a case that lately 

 came under our observation. A landscape-gardener marked out a place 

 for a pond in a very pretty place he was engaged in planting and deco- 

 rating, and the superintendent of the works, a man well experienced in 

 every branch of horticultural industry, trusted to guess-work instead of 

 using a .spirit-level in taking out the stuff for the pond. The result was, 

 that when the first heavy rainfall came the pond filled, and was about one 

 inch deep at one end and five feet at the other. It had to be emptied, 

 the outfall pipe raised, the bottom lowered, and the whole of the banks 

 lowered from nothing at the deep end to five feet at the shallow end, 

 which you may be sure was a much severer task than first lowering it 

 properly would have been. Suppose the workman makes an excavation, 

 supposing he is working to a dead level, and the result is the line A B. 



!N'ow let the water into the pond, and the result is the line C D. Under 

 some circumstances it would appear as if the water in this case lay all 

 aslant. This necessity for a dead level is a separate affair altogether from 

 the scenery of the banks ; for the banks may rise into knolls, steeps, 

 mounds, or what else, with the greatebt propriety, and, in facr, it adds 

 very much to the beauty of a sheet of water if it is enclosed on one 

 side by shelving banks and rising grounds ; but these may all be con- 

 sidered in the first instance in relation to the dead level, which the 

 water will always present, and the excavation for a pond must be 

 conducted with a view to that dead level from beginning to end. 



Another matter calling for remark is, as to supply and waste. If 

 placed in the lower part of the grounds, at the time the drainage is 

 efi'ected, all the drains can be made to converge to one main, which will 

 convey the water to the pond. The outflow should be on the opposite 

 side, to convey the water to a lower level. The level of the water will 

 be determined by the position of 0, the outfall, and this will be deter- 



mined by the highest point to which the supply S can be carried, and 

 this highest point must of necessity be the lowest in the whole set of 

 drains in communication with S. The larger the pond the greater must 



